Display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes: a display panel unit which comprises a first panel region corresponding to an opaque display region, and a second panel region corresponding to a transparent display region, a panel driving unit which drives the first panel region and the second panel region independently, and a controller which controls to display a main image on the opaque display region and display an additional image on the transparent display region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2012-0141968, filed on Dec. 7, 2012 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/596,634filed on Feb. 8, 2012 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Methods and apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate toa display apparatus, and more particularly, to a display apparatus whichcan display an additional image.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the development of digital technologies, various kinds ofelectronic products have been developed and distributed. In particular,various types of display apparatuses such as televisions (TVs), mobilephones, a personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, and personal digitalassistants (PDAs) are being widely used in general households.

As display apparatuses are increasingly used, users' needs for morediverse functions increase. Accordingly, manufacturers of the displayapparatuses make every effort to meet users' needs by providing productsequipped with new functions that have not been previously provided, suchas a function of providing a thee-dimensional (3D) content.

In particular, the manufacturers develop a display apparatus which canprovide various contents such as the Internet, a social network service(SNS), games, a video chat, and widgets, in addition to simple images.However, if such various contents are displayed on a display screen, thecontents may hinder a viewer from concentrating on watching the image.Also, the user may have difficulty in using the display apparatus sincethe user is not accustomed to controlling the display apparatus.

Therefore, there is a demand for providing various contentssimultaneously without hindering a user from watching an image, andallowing a user to control a display apparatus easily and intuitively.

SUMMARY

One or more exemplary embodiments may overcome the above disadvantagesand other disadvantages not described above. However, it is understoodthat one or more exemplary embodiment are not required to overcome thedisadvantages described above, and may not overcome any of the problemsdescribed above.

One or more exemplary embodiments provide a display apparatus which canprovide various contents according to user's request and purpose and canguide an appropriate user command according to a situation.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided adisplay apparatus including: a display panel unit which includes a firstpanel region corresponding to an opaque display region, and a secondpanel region corresponding to a transparent display region; a paneldriving unit which drives the first panel region and the second panelregion independently; and a controller which controls to display a mainimage on the opaque display region and display an additional image onthe transparent display region.

The first panel region may be a center region of the display panel unitand the second panel region may be a border region except for the centerregion.

The panel driving unit may include: a first panel driving unit whichdrives the first panel region; and a second panel driving unit whichdrives the second panel region.

The display apparatus may further include: a first signal processorwhich signal processes the main image and provides the main image to thefirst panel region; and a second signal processor which signal processesthe additional image and provides the additional image to the secondpanel region.

The additional image may include at least one of a pre-set widget, apre-set icon, pre-set graphic effects, an image regarding the mainimage, additional information regarding the main image, and graphiceffects regarding the main image.

The display panel unit may include: a first panel unit; and a secondpanel unit which is disposed on a border region of the first panel unitand adjusts transparency, and the first panel region may be a regionthat corresponds to the first panel unit and the second panel region maybe a region of the second panel unit that is transparently adjusted.

The display panel unit may include: a first panel unit; and a secondpanel unit which is disposed on a rear surface of the first panel unitand adjusts transparency, and the first panel region may be a region ofthe second panel unit that is opaquely adjusted and the second panelregion may be a region of the second panel unit that is transparentlyadjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and/or other aspects will be more apparent by describing indetail exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display apparatus according toan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a display panel unit and a paneldriving unit in detail;

FIG. 3 is a view to explain a display panel unit according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 4A to 5 are views to explain a second panel unit which can adjusttransparency in detail;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views to explain a second panel which can adjusttransparency according to a region;

FIG. 7 is a view to explain a method for providing backlight to a secondpanel region;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a display apparatus according toanother exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram to explain a signal processor in detail;

FIGS. 10A to 10C are views illustrating a remote controller according toan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a remote controller according to anotherexemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views to explain an operation of displayinggraphic effects regarding a main image on a second panel region;

FIGS. 13A to 13D are views to explain an operation of displaying graphiceffects on a second panel region;

FIG. 14 is a view to explain an operation of displaying an imageregarding a main image on a second panel region;

FIGS. 15A to 15C are views to explain an operation of displaying apre-set widget or pre-set graphic effects on a second panel region;

FIG. 16 is a view to explain an operation of displaying a part of a mainimage on a second panel region;

FIGS. 17 to 19 are views to explain an operation of displayingadditional information regarding a main image on a second panel region;

FIGS. 20 and 21 are views to explain an operation of displaying acontent list on a second panel region;

FIGS. 22A to 23B are views to explain an operation of displayingadditional information on regions (b) and (c) of a second panel regionin detail;

FIGS. 24A to 24E are views to explain an operation of changing a mainimage displayed on a first panel region to a different content;

FIGS. 25A to 25C are views to explain an operation of changing a mainimage displayed on a first panel region to additional informationregarding the main image;

FIGS. 26A to 26C are views to explain an operation of performing videochat through a second panel region; and

FIGS. 27A to 27D are views to explain an operation of providing a soundmode corresponding to a characteristic of an image and displayinggraphic effects on a second panel region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in greater detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description, same reference numerals are used for thesame elements when they are depicted in different drawings. The mattersdefined in the description, such as detailed construction and elements,are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplaryembodiments. Thus, it is apparent that exemplary embodiments can becarried out without those specifically defined matters. Also, functionsor elements known in the related art are not described in detail sincethey would obscure the exemplary embodiments with unnecessary detail.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display apparatus according toan exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a display apparatus 100includes a display panel unit 110, a panel driving unit 120, and acontroller 130.

The display panel unit 110 is driven by the panel driving unit 120 anddisplays an image. The display panel unit 110 may include a first panelregion which corresponds to an opaque display region, and a second panelregion which corresponds to a transparent display region.

The panel driving unit 120 drives the display panel unit 110 undercontrol of the controller 130. Specifically, the panel driving unit 120may drive the first panel region and the second panel region of thedisplay panel unit 110 independently.

The controller 130 controls overall operations of the display apparatus100. In particular, the controller 130 controls the panel driving unit120 to display an image on the display panel unit 110. Specifically, thecontroller 130 may control to display a main image on the opaque displayregion (the first panel region) and to display a main image or anadditional image on the transparent display region (the second panelregion).

Hereinafter, the display panel unit 110 and the panel driving unit 120will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the display panel unit and thepanel driving unit in detail. Referring to FIG. 2, the display panelunit 110 may include a first panel unit 1101 and a second panel unit1102. The first panel unit 1101 corresponds to an opaque display regionand the second panel unit 1102 corresponds to a transparent displayregion.

The panel driving unit 120 includes a first panel driving unit 121 and asecond panel driving unit 122. The first panel driving unit 121 drivesthe first panel unit 1101 and the second panel driving 122 drives thesecond panel unit 1102. Accordingly, one of the first panel unit 1101and the second panel unit 1102 that does not display an image may beturned off and thus power consumption can be reduced. Although the paneldriving unit 120 is realized by a plurality of panel driving units anddrives the first panel unit 1101 and the second panel unit 1102independently in FIG. 2, the panel driving unit 120 may be realized by asingle panel driving unit which drives the first panel unit 1101 and thesecond panel unit 1102 independently.

FIG. 3 is a view to explain the display panel unit according to anexemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, a first panel region 111 is acenter region of the display panel unit 110, and a second panel region112 is a border region except for the center region. However, this ismerely an example and locations of the first panel region 111 and thesecond panel region 112 may be realized in various manners. The firstpanel region 111, which corresponds to an opaque display region, maydisplay a main image. The second panel region 112, which corresponds toa transparent display region, may display a main image or an additionalimage. The additional image may include at least one of a pre-setwidget, a pre-set icon, pre-set graphic effects, an image regarding amain image, additional information regarding a main image, and graphiceffects regarding a main image.

A region (a) of the second panel region 112 displays a temporary serviceand function which are provided to a user while the user is watching adisplay screen. For example, if a user is invited to conduct a videochat by another user when the user is watching a content displayed onthe first panel region 111, the region (a) provides a video chatservice. If a new message is registered at a social network service(SNS), the region (a) informs that the new message is registered. Also,if the user watches a movie displayed on the first panel region 111, theregion (a) provides subtitles or displays graphic effects regarding themovie that the user is watching.

A region (b) of the second panel region 112 displays additionalinformation on a content or a user experience. For example, if the useris watching a soccer game displayed on the first panel region 111, theregion (b) may display information on teams that participate in thesoccer game, news on a soccer league, information on playersparticipating in the soccer game, and/or information on goods such as auniform and soccer shoes.

A region (c) of the second panel region 112 displays a content list forthe user to easily access a desired content. The content list mayinclude various contents such as an SNS, the Internet, and games as wellas general broadcast channels.

As described above, the main image and the additional image aredisplayed on separate regions, so that a viewer can be provided with anoriginal main image which is devoid of additional information includedin the content and also can be provided with various additional imagesintuitively and easily.

Referring to FIG. 3, the region (a) physically overlaps with the regions(b) and (c). However, the regions (a), (b), and (c) may be separatelyoperated according to a type of a content and a situation.

The first panel region 111 and the second panel region 112 of thedisplay panel unit 110 may be realized in various ways according toexemplary embodiments. Hereinafter, detailed configurations of the firstpanel region 111 and the second panel region 112 will be explainedaccording to exemplary embodiments.

According to a first exemplary embodiment, the display panel unit 110includes the first panel unit 1101 which corresponds to the first panel(opaque display) region 111, and the second panel unit 1102 whichcorresponds to the second panel (transparent display) region 112. Thefirst panel unit 1101 may be realized by a general liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) panel or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel. Thesecond panel unit 1102 may be realized by a transparent LCD panel or atransparent OLED panel. The transparent LCD panel refers to an LCD panelwhich is realized using a transparent electrode without a backlightunit, and the transparent OLED panel refers to an OLED panel that isrealized using a transparent organic light emitting layer and atransparent electrode. If the first panel unit and the second panel unitare realized by the same type of panel, the display panel unit 110 maybe embodied by a physically single panel.

According to a second exemplary embodiment, the display panel unit 110includes the first panel unit 1101 which corresponds to the first(opaque) panel region 111 and the second panel unit 1102 whichcorresponds to the second (transparent) panel region 112 and can adjusttransparency. The first panel unit 1101 may be realized by a general LCDpanel or an OLED panel as in the first exemplary embodiment. The secondpanel unit 1102 may be realized using two panels in order to adjusttransparency. The second panel unit 1102 will be explained in detailwith reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5 are views to explain the second panel unit 1102 whichcan adjust transparency in detail. Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, thesecond panel unit 1102 includes a first panel 5 and a second panel 10.The first panel 5 is a panel to display an image and may be realized bya transparent LCD panel or a transparent OLED panel. The second panel 10is a panel to adjust transparency of the second panel unit, and isdisposed on a rear surface of the first panel 5 and may be realized by atransparent LCD panel or an electronic wetting display (EWD) panel. Thesecond panel 10 may adjust the transparency from a transparent state toa black opaque state. The second panel 10 is a panel to adjust thetransparency and thus is not required to realize colors and may not havea color filter. FIG. 5 illustrates the second panel unit if the secondpanel 10 is adjusted to be in the opaque state. If the first panel unit1101 and the first panel 5 of the second panel unit 1102 are realized bythe same type of panel, the first panel unit 1101 and the first panel 5of the second panel unit 1102 may be embodied by a single panel.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views to explain the second panel unit 1102 whichcan adjust transparency according to a region. As shown in FIG. 6A and6B, the second panel unit 1102 may adjust the transparency differentlyaccording to a region. Specifically, the second panel 10 of the secondpanel unit 1102, which adjusts the transparency, may be independentlydriven on a pixel basis or a pixel group basis including a plurality ofpixels to adjust the transparency differently according to a region.

FIG. 7 is a view to explain a method for providing backlight to thesecond panel region 112. If the first panel unit 1101 corresponding tothe first panel region 111 is realized by an LCD panel and the firstpanel 5 of the second panel unit 1102 corresponding to the second panelregion 112 is realized by a transparent LCD panel, a backlight unit 20of the first panel unit 1101 may be realized by an edge type and thebacklight unit 20 of the edge type may be designed to also providebacklight to the first panel 5 of the second panel unit 1102.Accordingly, even if the second panel 10 of the second panel unit 1102is in the opaque state, the backlight unit may provide backlight to thefirst panel 5 of the second panel unit 1102.

According to a third exemplary embodiment, an entire region of thedisplay panel unit 110 may be realized by a panel that can adjusttransparency. That is, the display panel unit 110 may include the firstpanel 5 to display an image and the second panel 10 which is disposed onthe rear surface of the first panel 5 to adjust transparency of thedisplay panel unit 110. Unlike in the second exemplary embodiment, thesecond panel 10 is disposed on an entire region of the display panelunit 110. The second panel 10 may adjust the transparency differentlyaccording to a region of the second panel 10. The first panel region 111of the display panel unit 110 may correspond to a region of the secondpanel 10 that is opaquely adjusted, and the second panel region 112 maycorrespond to a region of the second panel 10 that is transparentlyadjusted. For example, the second panel 10 may adjust the center region(first panel region) opaquely and may adjust the border region (secondpanel region) except for the center region transparently.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a display apparatus according toanother exemplary embodiment. The display apparatus 100 may furtherinclude a receiver 140, a storage unit 150, and a signal processor 160as well as the display panel unit 110, the panel driving unit 120, andthe controller 130.

The receiver 140 receives a content. Specifically, the receiver 140 mayreceive a content using a broadcasting network or the Internet. Also,the receiver 140 may receive a content from various types of recordingmedium reproducing apparatuses which are provided in the displayapparatus 100 or connected to the display apparatus 100. The recordingmedium reproducing apparatus refers to an apparatus that reproduces acontent which is stored in various types of recording media such as aCD, a DVD, a hard disk, a blue-ray disk, a memory card, and a USBmemory.

The storage unit 150 stores various applications, contents, and graphiceffects which may be executed, reproduced, or displayed by the displayapparatus 100.

The signal processor 160 performs signal processing with respect to acontent which is received by the receiver 140 or stored in the storageunit 150. The signal processor 160 may include a de-multiplexer (notshown) to separate video data, audio data, and additional data from thecontent, and an image processor (not shown), an audio processor, and anadditional data processor to process the data separated from the contentby the de-multiplexer.

The signal processor 160 may process the images which are displayed onthe first panel region and the second panel region independently.Specifically, if a main image and an additional image are included inthe content or if an image to be displayed on the first panel region 111and an image to be displayed on the second panel region 112 are receivedfrom different sources, the display apparatus 100 may include aplurality of image processors to process the images respectively. Theimage processor will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the signal processor in detail.Referring to FIG. 9, the signal processor 160 includes a first imageprocessor 161 and a second image processor 162. The first imageprocessor 161 processes the main image. The first panel driving unit 121may drive the first panel unit 1101 to display the image, which isprocessed by the first image processor 161, in the first panel region111 under control of the controller 130. The second panel driving unit122 may drive the second panel unit 1102 to display the image, which isprocessed by the second image processor 161, in the second panel region112 under control of the controller 130. After the additional dataincluded in the content such as subtitles is processed by the additionaldata processor, the additional data is rendered with the image which isprocessed by the second image processor 161 and is displayed on thesecond panel region 112.

The signal processor 160 may extract text and an image which arecontinuously included in the content and may display the text and theimage on the second panel region. For example, the signal processor 160may separate a score which is repeatedly displayed on each frame of asoccer game image or a logo indicating each broadcast channel from themain image, and may display the score or the logo on the second panelregion.

FIGS. 10A to 10C are views illustrating a remote controller according toan exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 10A, a remote controller 200includes a first layer 210 and a second layer 220 which is disposed on alower portion of the first layer 210. A front surface of the first layer210 may be realized by an input apparatus such as a touch pad or may berealized by a touch screen to display an image. The first layer 210 isdisposed on the second layer 220 to be movable horizontally by apredetermined distance with respect to the second layer 220. Theoperation of moving the first layer 210 to the left of the second layer220 may correspond to the operation of controlling the region (b) of thesecond panel region of FIG. 3 or displaying a corresponding content, andthe operation of moving the first layer 210 to the right of the secondlayer 220 may correspond to the operation of controlling the region (c)of the second panel region or displaying a corresponding content. Forexample, if the user moves the first layer 220 of the remote controller200 to the right, a content list may be displayed on the region (c) ofthe second panel region.

FIG. 10B illustrates the first layer 210 which is moved to the left ofthe second layer 220 by a predetermined distance. A region 25 in whichthe first layer 210 does not coincide with the second layer 220 due tothe movement of the first layer 210 may be used as a region to controlthe region (b) of the second panel region. The user may control thecontent displayed on the region (b) of the second panel region bytouching the region 26 of the first layer.

FIG. 10C illustrates the first layer 210 which is moved back to theoriginal position and completely coincides with the second layer 220. Asthe first layer 210 is moved to the original position, the imagedisplayed on the region (b) of the second panel region may disappear.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a remote controller according to anotherexemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, a front surface of theremote controller 200 may be realized in a similar shape to that of thedisplay panel unit 110 of the display apparatus 100.

The front surface of the remote controller 200 may be realized by atouch pad or a touch screen as shown in FIG. 10A to 10C. The user maycontrol the region (b) or (c) of the second panel region or display acorresponding content by outwardly dragging on a border 30 displayed onthe front surface of the remote controller 200.

If the remote controller 200 shown in FIGS. 10A to 11 is realized by atouch screen, the remote controller 200 may display an object to guideappropriate user input according to a situation or may receive a contentdisplayed on the display apparatus 100 and may display the content.

Hereinafter, various scenarios which can be applied to the displayapparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment will be explained.FIGS. 12A to 21 are views to explain various images, contents, andinformation that can be displayed on the display apparatus according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views to explain an operation of displayinggraphic effects regarding a main image on the second panel region. Thedisplay apparatus 100 displays a main image on the first panel region111 and may display graphic effects regarding the main image on thesecond panel region 112. Referring to FIG. 12A, a main image including atree and clouds may be displayed on the first panel region 111. Graphiceffects similar to the tree and the clouds included in the main imagemay be displayed on the second panel region 112. Referring to FIG. 12B,a scene of fire-breathing monster and burning buildings may be displayedon the first panel region 111, and graphic effects similar to the fireincluded in the main image may be displayed on the second panel region112. Also, if a scene where an airplane is controlled is displayed onthe first panel region 111, graphic effects which make a user feel thesensation of speed may be displayed on the second panel region 112. If ascene where the wave is crashing is displayed on the first panel region111, graphic effects similar to the wave may be displayed on the secondpanel region 112. As described above, the second panel region 112displays the graphic effects regarding the main image so that the usercan concentrate on the main image.

FIGS. 13A to 13D are views to explain an operation of displaying graphiceffects on the second panel region. The display apparatus 100 displays amain image on the first panel region 111 and displays graphic effects onthe second panel region 112, thereby providing special visual effects.Referring to FIGS. 13A to 13C, graphic effects may be displayed on thesecond panel region 112 so that the first panel region 111 can havevisual effects like a photo or an album. Also, referring to FIGS. 13Band 13C, graphic effects 35 to make the first panel region 111 and thesecond panel region 112 look like connected with each other aredisplayed so that visual effects can be maximized. Referring to FIG.13D, graphic effects to make a plurality of images look like overlappingmay be displayed on the second panel region 112. The graphic effects aredisplayed on the second panel region as described above, so that specialvisual effect appropriate to a user's situation can be provided.

FIG. 14 is a view to explain an operation of displaying an imageregarding a main image on the second panel region. The display apparatus100 displays a main image on the first panel region 111 and displaysvarious images regarding the main image on the second panel region 112.If the user enjoys a photo as shown in FIG. 14, one photo may bedisplayed on the first panel region 111 and the other photos 45 may bedisplayed on the second panel region 112. Also, a certain photo 50 maybe displayed on both the first panel region 111 and the second panelregion 112 as shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C. In the case of a moving imagecontent including a plurality of images such as a multi-angle content, amain image may be displayed on the first panel region 111 and the otherimages may be displayed on the second panel region, so that variousimages can be provided simultaneously.

FIGS. 15A to 15C are views to explain an operation of displaying apre-set widget or pre-set graphic effects on the second panel region.The display apparatus 100 may display a pre-set widget or pre-setgraphic effects on the second panel region 112. Referring to FIG. 15A, awidget 55 which provides weather information and a widget 60 whichprovides date and time information may be displayed on the second panelregion 112. Also, graphic effects corresponding to current weather maybe displayed. Also, as shown in FIG. 15B, graphic effects displayingdate and time information repeatedly may be provided. Also, bydisplaying pre-set graphic effects as shown in FIG. 15C, the displayapparatus 100 may be utilized for room interior design or decoration.Since the widget or the graphic effects explained in FIGS. 15A to 15Chave nothing to do with an image displayed on the first panel region111, the widget or the graphic effects may be displayed independentlyeven if the first panel region 111 is turned off.

FIG. 16 is a view to explain an operation of displaying a part of a mainimage on the second panel region. If an aspect ratio applied to the mainimage is different from an aspect ratio supported by the first panelregion 111, the display apparatus 100 may display a part of the mainimage that is not displayed on the first panel region 111 on the secondpanel region 112. If the main image has an aspect ratio of 21:9 and thefirst panel region has an aspect ratio of 16:9, 16/21 of the main imagemay be displayed on the first panel region 111 and the remainder of themain image, 5/21, may be displayed on the second panel region 112. If apart of the main image is displayed on the second panel region asdescribed above, the second panel region may be adjusted to be opaquelike the first panel region.

FIGS. 17 to 19 are views to explain an operation of displayingadditional information regarding a main image on the second panelregion. The additional information regarding the main image may includeall pieces of information on the main image, such as information on abroadcasting station, a broadcast program title, broadcasting hours andelapsed time of a main image, a producer of a main image, castinformation, information on props appearing in a main image, anadvertisement regarding a main image, and news on a main image.

Referring to FIG. 17, information on a broadcasting station of adisplayed broadcast program and a title of the broadcast program may bedisplayed on the second panel region 112. If a soccer game is relayed asshown in FIG. 17, a name of a broadcasting station which relays thesoccer game, a name of a soccer league and names of teams whichparticipate in the soccer game may be displayed on the second paneregion. Also, total broadcasting hours and elapsed time of the displayedbroadcast program may be displayed as texts or images. The broadcastingstation information and the title of the broadcast program may bedisplayed on an upper portion of the first panel region 111 in thesecond panel region 112.

Referring to FIG. 18, information on the broadcast program itself may bedisplayed on the second panel region 112. If the soccer game is relayedas shown in FIG. 18, position information of players in the stadium 61,information on a photo and a profile of a certain player 62, and a scoreof another soccer game in the league 63 may be displayed on the secondpanel region. Also, an on-line chat service 64 or a video chat servicefor chatting with friends who are watching the same game may be providedthrough the second panel region.

Referring to FIG. 19, additional information regarding the displayedmain image may be displayed on the second panel region 112 in a form ofan object or an icon. The user may scroll or select an object or an icondisplayed on the second panel region 112 using the remote controller200, and highlight 65 may be displayed on one of the plurality ofobjects (or icons) according to a user command or may be changed. If theuser selects the object or icon where the highlight is displayed,detailed information on the selected object or icon may be displayed onthe first panel region 111 or the second panel region 112.

FIGS. 20 and 21 are views to explain an operation of displaying acontent list on the second panel region. Referring to FIG. 20, a contentlist 70 including various contents such as sports, news, drama, games,SNS, and the Internet may be displayed on the second panel region 112.In particular, the content list may be displayed on the region (c) ofthe second panel region, and the user may scroll the content list orselect one of the plurality of contents using the remote controller 200.Highlighting may be displayed on one of the plurality of contents or maybe changed according to a user command. Referring to FIG. 21, thecontent list 70 may be displayed on an upper portion of the first panelregion 111 in the second panel region 112.

FIGS. 22A to 23B are views to explain an operation of displayingadditional information on the regions (b) and (c) of the second panelregion in detail. The display apparatus 100 generally displays only theregion (a) of the second panel region and may display the region (b) or(c) if necessary. Specifically, if there is information to be displayedon the region (b) or (c) of the second panel region, highlight 75 isdisplayed on a boundary region between the first panel region 111 andthe region (b) or (c) of the second panel region, informing the userthat there is information to be displayed, as shown in FIG. 22A or 23A.If the user inputs a user command to display information on the region(b) or (c) (for example, the user slides the first layer 210 of theremote controller 200 as shown in FIG. 10B) through the remotecontroller 200, the additional information may be displayed on thesecond region as shown in FIG. 22B or 23B.

FIGS. 24A to 24E are views to explain an operation of changing a mainimage displayed on the first panel region to a different content. Themain image displayed on the first panel region may be changed by acontinuous operation. FIGS. 24A illustrates a situation in which acontent list is displayed on the second panel region as in FIG. 20. Theuser may scroll the content list or may select one of the plurality ofcontents using the remote controller 200. If the user selects “CNN News”from among the plurality of contents, “CNN News” is moved to the left ofthe first panel region 111 on which the main image is displayed and aCNN News image 80 is displayed as shown in FIG. 24B. Accordingly, thesoccer game image displayed on the first panel region 111 is pushed outto the left. After that, the CNN News image 80 gets larger and is movedto the center of the first panel region 111 and accordingly the soccergame image is gradually pushed out to the left as shown in FIGS. 24C and24D. Finally, if the CNN News image 80 is enlarged to fit in the firstpanel region 111 and the soccer game image disappears from the displayscreen, the main image displayed on the first panel region is changedfrom the soccer game image to the CNN News image. The operation ofchanging the main image described with reference to FIGS. 24A to 24E ismerely an example, and the main image may be changed in various methods.

FIGS. 25A to 25C are views to explain an operation of changing a mainimage displayed on the first panel region to additional informationregarding the main image. FIG. 25A illustrates a situation in whichadditional information regarding the main image is displayed on thesecond panel region in a form of one or more objects (or icon(s)) as inFIG. 19. The user may select one of the objects using the remotecontroller 200, and, if the user selects goods information on soccershoes to buy soccer shoes that one of the soccer players puts on, thegoods information on the soccer shoes may be displayed on the firstpanel region as shown in FIG. 25B. However, since this case is not thecase that the main image itself is changed to a different content as inFIGS. 24A to 24E, a reduced main image 85 may be displayed on a part ofthe second panel region so that the user can continue watching the mainimage. In a similar method to that of FIGS. 24A to 24E, the imagesdisplayed on the first panel region and the second panel region may beinterchanged with each other in a continuous operation. Also, if theuser selects the reduced main image 85 using the remote controller 200,the main image may return to the first panel region 111 as shown in FIG.25C.

FIGS. 26A to 26C are views to explain an operation of performing a videochat through the second panel region. If the user is requested toparticipate in a video chat by another user when using the displayapparatus 100, a message 90 informing that the user is invited to avideo chat by another user may be displayed on the second panel region112 as shown in FIG. 26A. After that, a user interface (UI) to receiveuser selection to accept or reject the video chat request may bedisplayed. If the user accepts the video chat request, a friend's imageis displayed on the second panel region 112 as shown in FIG. 26B so thatthe video chat service can be used. Also, a text chat may be performedin the same way, and dialogue messages are displayed on the second panelregion as shown in FIG. 26C so that a text chat service can be used. Ifa new message is registered at an SNS or a broadcast program that isadded to user's favorite starts, the display apparatus 100 displays amessage informing this on the second panel region 112 and provides theSNS service or displays the broadcast program according to userselection.

FIGS. 27A to 27D are views to explain an operation of providing a soundmode corresponding to a characteristic of an image and displayinggraphic effects on the second panel region. In general, a differentsound characteristic is requested according to a type of a content. Forexample, a sound characteristic requested when the user watches a movieis different from that requested when the user watches a concert video.If a sound mode appropriate to a content displayed on the first panelregion 111 is different from a current sound mode, a message 95informing that a sound mode can be changed or selected may be displayedon the second panel region 112 as shown in FIG. 27A. If the user inputsa command to change the sound mode, a list of selectable sound modes (orobjects or icons) may be displayed on the second panel region 112 asshown in FIG. 27B. In order to facilitate user section, highlight 96 maybe displayed on a sound mode appropriate to the content displayed on thefirst panel region 111. If the user selects one of the sound modes,graphic effects corresponding to the selected sound mode may bedisplayed on the second panel region 112. For example, a sound graph 97corresponding to the output sound may be displayed as shown in FIG. 27C,and, if the user watches a concert video, graphic effects 98 creating aconcert atmosphere may be displayed as shown in FIG. 27D.

According to various exemplary embodiments described above, the user canbe provided with various contents without being hindered and can controlthe display apparatus easily and intuitively.

The foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplaryand are not to be construed as the present inventive concept. Theexemplary embodiments can be readily applied to other types ofapparatuses. Also, the description of the exemplary embodiments isintended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims,and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a display panelunit which comprises a first panel region corresponding to an opaquedisplay region, and a second panel region corresponding to a transparentdisplay region; a panel driving unit which drives the first panel regionand the second panel region independently; and a controller whichcontrols the panel driving unit to display a main image on the firstpanel region and display an additional image on the second panel region.2. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first panelregion is the opaque display region and the second panel region is thetransparent display region.
 3. The display apparatus as claimed in claim1, wherein the first panel region is a center region of the displaypanel unit and the second panel region is a region outside of the centerregion.
 4. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein thepanel driving unit comprises: a first panel driving unit which drivesthe first panel region; and a second panel driving unit which drives thesecond panel region.
 5. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4,further comprising: a first signal processor which signal processes themain image and provides the processed main image to the first paneldriving unit; and a second signal processor which signal processes theadditional image and provides the processed additional image to thesecond panel driving unit.
 6. The display apparatus as claimed in claim1, wherein the additional image comprises at least one of a pre-setwidget, a pre-set icon, pre-set graphic effects, an image regarding themain image, additional information regarding the main image, and graphiceffects regarding the main image.
 7. The display apparatus as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the display panel unit comprises: a first panel unitwhich corresponds to the first panel region; and a second panel unitwhich corresponds to the second panel region, is disposed on a borderregion of the first panel unit and adjusts transparency of the secondpanel region.
 8. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe display panel unit comprises: a first panel unit; and a second panelunit which is disposed on a rear surface of the first panel and adjuststransparency, wherein the first panel region is a region of the secondpanel unit that is opaquely adjusted and the second panel region is aregion of the second panel unit that is transparently adjusted.
 9. Adisplay apparatus comprising: a display panel unit which comprises afirst panel unit corresponding to a first panel region, and a secondpanel unit corresponding to a second panel region; a panel driving unitwhich drives the first panel unit and the second panel unitindependently; and a controller which controls the panel driving unit todrive the first panel unit so that a main image is displayed on thefirst panel region and to drive the second panel unit so that anadditional image is displayed on the second panel region.
 10. Thedisplay apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first panel regionis an opaque display region and the second panel region is a transparentdisplay region.
 11. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the firstpanel unit and the second panel unit are embodied together by a singlepanel.
 12. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first panelunit is a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel or an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) panel, and the second panel unit is an LCD panelor an OLED panel.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein thesecond panel unit comprises a first panel and a second panel disposed ona rear surface of the first panel.
 14. The display apparatus of claim13, wherein the second panel adjusts transparency of the display panelunit.
 15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second paneladjusts the transparency differently according to a region of the secondpanel.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein first panel regioncorresponds to a region of the second panel that is opaquely adjusted,and the second panel region corresponds to a region of the second panelthat is transparently adjusted.
 17. The display apparatus of claim 9,wherein the first panel region is a center region of the display panelunit and the second panel region is a region outside of the centerregion.
 18. The display apparatus of claim 17, wherein the additionalimage comprises at least one of a pre-set widget, a pre-set icon,pre-set graphic effects, an image regarding the main image, additionalinformation regarding the main image, and graphic effects regarding themain image.
 19. A display apparatus comprising: a display panel unitwhich comprises an opaque display region located in a central and atransparent display region; a panel driving unit which drives thedisplay panel unit; and a controller which controls the panel drivingunit to drive the display panel unit so that a main image is displayedon the opaque display region and an additional image is displayed on thetransparent display region.
 20. The display apparatus of claim 19,wherein the opaque display region is a center region of the displaypanel unit and the transparent display region is a region outside of thecenter region.
 21. The display apparatus of claim 19, wherein the paneldriving unit comprises: a first panel driving unit which drives theopaque display region; and a second panel driving unit which drives thetransparent display region.
 22. The display apparatus of claim 21,further comprising: a first signal processor which signal processes themain image and provides the processed main image to the first paneldriving unit; and a second signal processor which signal processes theadditional image and provides the processed additional image to thesecond panel driving unit.
 23. The display apparatus of claim 19,wherein the additional image comprises at least one of a pre-set widget,a pre-set icon, pre-set graphic effects, an image regarding the mainimage, additional information regarding the main image, and graphiceffects regarding the main image.
 24. The display apparatus of claim 19,wherein the display panel unit comprises a first panel unitcorresponding to the opaque display region, and a second panel unitcorresponding to the transparent display region.
 25. The displayapparatus of claim 24, wherein the first panel unit and the second panelunit are embodied together by a single panel.
 26. The display apparatusof claim 24, wherein the first panel unit is a liquid crystal display(LCD) panel or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, and thesecond panel unit is an LCD panel or an OLED panel.
 27. The displayapparatus of claim 24, wherein the second panel unit comprises a firstpanel and a second panel disposed on a rear surface of the first panel.28. The display apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second panel adjuststransparency of the display panel unit.
 29. The display apparatus ofclaim 28, wherein the second panel adjusts the transparency differentlyaccording to a region of the second panel.